Jacen’s Dark Journey
by JediJSolo
Summary: Jacen finds what he believes to be his true purpose in this galaxy… (Please review)
1. Lost naivete

Timeframe- NJO, after Rebirth, around the time of Star by Star and Dark Journey.   
Focus- Jacen (mainly), I do hope to have Tenel Ka in there eventually.   
Summary- Jacen finds what he believes to be his true purpose in this galaxy.   
  
This is my second attempt at a Fan Fiction. I had originally posted a version of this story on the fan fiction forum of   
theforce.net, but no one reviewed it. Please comment on this story, I would like to know if I should post a second chapter   
of it or just not bother with it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I am making no money off of this story.  
  
Let us begin.  
  
  
Jacen was sitting in a small shuttle, heading straight for the planet Hapes. He intended to go there and state his   
intentions, regarding this galaxy. The galaxy was falling apart and it needed a new leader to keep it together. He   
intended to become that leader.  
  
He was resting and reflecting on that fateful day when his entire life had changed. That day when he had stopped   
whining about the way things should be and started taking action. That day when he had lost all of the innocence that he   
once had. The day he had learned his true place in the Force.  
  
***  
  
Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin were back on Duro. They had originally come here to help organize a resistance against the   
Yuuzhan Vong. Being inside the core, Duro had become the central base of operations for the Vong, and the young Solos had   
hoped to spearhead the resistance against them.  
  
Many of the original refugees that had been stranded on Duro during the original invasion of the planet had hid   
underground. There were at least a hundred of them and they were all very eager to help any effort that might rid the   
planet of the Vong. For the past few weeks the refugees, with the help of the young Solos, had been sabotaging the   
Yuuzhan Vong efforts to find the remaining survivors.  
  
"It's time." Jacen said, walking into the room where his little brother and twin sister were discussing how to go   
about their next raid on Vong transports. They where in an office that had been dug out of the wall of one of the   
underground tunnels. The room was very small and only had a table and two chairs in it.  
  
"Time for what?" Anakin asked, frustrated by Jacen's interruption. Jacen hadn't been contributing much to these   
meetings. He claimed that it was best to just leave the military strategizing up to Anakin and Jaina; claiming that that   
kind of thing was never one of his gifts.  
  
"Time to hit the heart of the Vong on this planet" Jacen said.  
  
"Are you nuts? They still outnumber us about two hundred to one." Jaina said, looking at her twin brother as if he   
had completely lost his mind.  
  
"And plus, we don't even know how to get into there main base." Anakin said, matching Jaina's tone.  
  
"I had another vision. I know how to get in. And also, the Vong will always outnumber us. They can get   
reinforcements, but we can't" Jacen said, looking at both his brother and sister with a very serious expression.  
  
"What did you see in this vision?" Anakin was not too sure of whether or not to trust one of Jacen's visions. They   
were usually accurate, but they had led him astray before.  
  
"I saw Anakin and I, walking into the Vong HQ and killing Tsavong Lah." Jacen said.  
  
"That's it? Just you and Anakin walking in and killing the Vong head honcho? How do you know that this wasn't just   
a dream?" Jaina asked, still sounding like she was questioning her twin's sanity.  
  
"There was a lot more to it than that, but that's it in a nut shell. And plus, Jedi don't dream; you know that."   
Jacen said, still looking very serious.  
  
"In your vision, how did we escape? I assume that we both survived, other wise I don't think you would be as adamant   
about this." Anakin said, sensing that Jacen truly believed that what he had seen would work.  
  
"Yes we both survived. And we left the same way we got in, through the window. We got in and out before anyone knew   
we were there."  
  
"You can't be serous." Jaina said, more to herself than to Jacen. She could sense Jacen's sincerity better that   
Anakin could, but she was just having a lot of trouble believing it.  
  
"Well I guess it was going to come to this sooner or later. And who am I to turn down an opportunity to kill   
Tsavong Lah?" Anakin said, deciding to go along with his brother's plan.  
  
"Good, we'll go as soon as you're ready." Jacen turned around and left the room in a hurry; giving the impression   
that he wanted to hit the Vong HQ sooner rather than latter.  
  
After Jacen left Jaina asked "Should I send reinforcements to go after you?"  
  
"No. If this doesn't work I want you to take as many of the refugees as you can and get them off this planet. One   
way or another, this is going to be the last offensive that we are going to try and I don't want to put more people in   
danger than is necessary." Anakin said, with a very sober face.  
  
Jaina looked like she understood, but Anakin got the feeling that she didn't like his tone.  
  
***  
  
They managed to sneak up to the Vong HQ without any of the Vong seeing them, just the way Jacen had seen in his   
vision. They were near a side of the beetle-like Vong building that seemed to be unguarded. It had no reason to be   
guarded. The only thing that might be considered an entrance was the eye socket looking opening that was about a hundred   
feet above where they were currently hiding.  
  
"Is this how you saw it in your vision?" Anakin asked, trying to make sure that every thing was going according to   
plan.  
  
"Yes. Everything is happening the way I saw it in my vision."  
  
"Even this conversation?" Anakin asked, curious as to how specific Jacen's vision had been.  
  
"Yes. Even this conversation." Jacen was obviously amused by this because he allowed himself to smile.  
  
"Wow!" Anakin said, truly impressed with how much detail Jacen's vision of the future had shown him. "Is that the   
window you were talking about?" He asked, pointing to the opening above them.  
  
"Yes. There should be three of them in that room. Can you get a reading on them with your lambent?"  
  
Anakin concentrated for a moment, then said, "No, they are too far away. They all seem to blend together."  
  
"There should only be three of them up there. When we vault into the room there will be one to the left and behind   
you. There will be another one in front and to the right of both of us, but she is a shamed one so she won't fight. And   
then, there will be Tsavong Lah directly in front of us both. The one behind you will attack first. He will come at you   
straight from where he is standing so be prepared to block a blow to the head from behind. Tsavong Lah will come after me.   
Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes. I understand" Anakin said, even more in awe of how specific his brother's vision had been.  
  
***  
  
They stood directly under the window, Jacen on the right and Anakin on the left. "Now!" Jacen said, and they both   
vaulted up towards the opening simultaneously. When they landed in the room, everything was as Jacen had described.  
  
Tsavong Lah was obviously shocked by the sudden appearance of the Jedi, but he recovered well. "Well, it seems that   
the two Jeedai most wanted by my people have decided to turn themselves in."  
  
"Hardly" Jacen said, radiating calm determination.  
  
"I do not hold your younger brother with the same hatred that I hold you. He will have the benefit of a quick   
death." Tsavong Lah said, and in that instant the Vong behind Anakin struck with his amphistaff, but Anakin was ready and   
stopped the blow with an over the head block. But then something that hadn't happened in Jacen's vision took place.   
Tsavong Lah, instead of coming at Jacen, struck at Anakin. Anakin's lightsaber was being held behind his head by the force   
of the other Vong, and he couldn't deflect the amphistaff that pierced his heart from directly in front of him.  
  
Anakin managed a choked "What?" as he looked at the snake like weapon that had impaled him, before he fell to the   
floor.  
  
"You, on the other hand, shall know much pain before you die" Tsavong Lah said, letting a smile spread across his   
face that could only be described as an expression of vicious delight.  
  
Jacen couldn't hear him. He watched his brother fall to the floor in horror. What had gone wrong? Every thing had   
been going perfectly until this point. Then Jacen saw the expression on Anakin's face. It was the expression of someone   
who had been betrayed. That is what had happened. The Force had betrayed them. It had betrayed Jacen before and now it   
had done it again, only this time it had killed his only brother. He had spent his entire life trying to understand what   
the Force was trying to tell him. He had spent his entire life in the service of the Force, and this is how the Force   
repaid him! By betraying him and his only brother!  
  
His subconscious mind understood this. His conscious mind, on the other hand, was too clouded with rage to   
comprehend anything so complex at the moment. Rage at the Force, rage at himself, and rage at the Vong. But the Vong in   
the room would never live long enough to realize their mistake.  
  
Without moving a muscle, Jacen grabbed hold of his lightsaber with the Force, took it off of his belt, turned it   
on, and sent the green glowing blade through the necks of every Vong in the room. This all happened in a millisecond.   
None of the Vong had the chance to offer any type of resistance against Jacen's swift vengeance. And before any of the   
Vong's heads had the chance to hit the ground, Jacen had the deactivated hilt of his lightsaber back on his belt.  
  
Jacen looked at the dead body of his younger brother. He saw the betrayal still written in Anakin's face. He felt   
the overwhelming sadness, hatred and rage well up inside him. These emotions became unbearably overpowering. And then,   
in an involuntary attempt to release those emotions, Jacen through his head back and let out an uncontrolled scream that   
shook the planet. As he screamed, the Force around him rippled and bent. Dark Force lightning sparked from ever appendage   
of his body. The walls of the room warped under the stress. Had he been standing in a normal building the whole thing   
would have been completely demolished by now.  
  
How could the Force do this to him? His whole family had spent their entire lives in the service of the Force, and this is   
how it repaid him? His rage doubled and the room could no longer hold up to the assault. The walls blew out and were   
shoved up against the walls of the rooms next to them.  
  
***  
  
Jacen couldn't remember much after that. Somehow he had managed to find a small light speed capable craft and he   
had left Duro. After that he had come to the understanding that the Force was not an all-knowing entity that a Jedi can use  
to gain wisdom. The Force was a tool to be used by the people who have the power to use it. Things don't work if you just   
let them happen on their own. You have to make them work. The Force is a tool used to make the galaxy work, and it won't   
work if you don't make it.  
  
The Vong were a plague to the galaxy and they needed to be eradicated. But even with a tool as powerful as the Force   
and with that tool being enhanced by his emotions, he still wasn't strong enough to destroy the Vong on his own. That is   
why he was heading to Hapes. He might have a chance to convince an old friend to see things his way. With her physical   
and military might there was a very good chance that, under his direction, they could destroy the Vong forever and be sure   
that a threat like them never came again.  
  
  



	2. The Seeds of Tyranny

Okay, this is obviously the second chapter. I'm not sure if it is really finished or not. I might   
continue this chapter and put it in as part of the third chapter or I might just jump right into the third chapter   
without the last seen of this one. Either way, I haven't started on the next part of the story, so it will be   
taking me much longer to post the next part (you know, school and all).  
  
The story continues...  
  
  
Jacen was over the planet Hapes. He had managed to penetrate the outer defenses of the Hapes   
cluster without any difficulty. He had used the Force so that anyone, who might have seen him on his way   
in, forgot about it before they could do anything to alert the Hapan defense force. The only reason why the   
people at the orbital control center knew he was there was because he wanted them to know.  
  
"Unidentified shuttle, please state your designation and your intentions," said the melodic yet stern   
female voice.  
  
"Where is the Queen Mother and the princess?" Jacen asked, ignoring the orbital controller's   
commands, and using the Force to make her answer him.  
  
"They are both in the senatorial building. They are discussing matters of state," the controller   
said, obviously oblivious to the fact that she wasn't in control of the situation.  
  
"Permit me to land near the senate building. It's urgent," Jacen said, again using the Force to   
make the women comply with his demands.  
  
"Yes sir. Right away," the women said. And soon, Jacen had clearance to land in the space dock   
right next to the senate building.  
  
***  
  
"How can she put up with this?" Tenel Ka thought. She was in the senate building with her   
parents. Her mother, Teneniel Djo, was sitting on a dais in front of all the senators from other planets in   
the Hapes cluster. Tenel Ka sat to her mother's right, and her father, Isolder, sat to her mother's left, as   
was customary in the Hapes cluster. Her grandmother, Ta'a Chume, having been the former Queen Mother   
of the Hapes cluster, was now the head adviser to the current Queen Mother, Teneniel Djo, and she had a   
seat off to the side of the dais.  
  
"This squabbling is pointless!" Tenel Ka continued her thought. She was having to listen to   
these senators quarrel over trade routes, economic problems, and the defending of there borders by the   
Hapan military, which had become a great concern for everyone since the incident at Fondor. All of the   
senators agreed that the military should be their top concern, but they all managed to find ways to argue   
about how to do that.   
  
Tenel Ka found it infuriating. All of the senators agreed, but they still insisted on arguing about it.   
She couldn't understand how her mother put up with it. Her mother had never liked politics either, but   
Ta'a Chume had apparently groomed her well enough so that she became a descent diplomat. Tenel Ka's   
grandmother had tried to do the same with her, but she had resisted. Ta'a Chume had given her all of the   
technical knowledge she needed to become a good Queen Mother when it was time for her to take her   
mother's place, but she had never become a good diplomat like her mother had. She hated her place as heir   
to the Hapan throne. She even had more political power than her father did, which is why she sat at her   
mother's right hand and her father sat at her mother's left. She couldn't even imagine trying to mediate this   
mob of squabbling delegates, let alone try to rule in her mother's place.  
  
But suddenly, it seemed that all of the senators felt a great need to be silent. They had apparently   
forgotten about whatever it was that they were debating and took their seats. Tenel Ka became very   
confused. What had happened? Her mother had told her to pay attention to the proceedings, and she   
though she had been. There was no indication of why the senators had decided to stop bickering. Suddenly   
the doors to the senate chamber swung open, seemingly of their own accord, and Jacen Solo walked quietly   
into the room. Apparently he had used the Force to get the senators to calm down long enough to let   
himself in and command their full attention. Tenel Ka would have to remind herself to ask Jacen about   
teaching her that little trick.  
  
But Jacen looked different to Tenel Ka. It looked as if he had some how aged ten years since the   
last time she had seen him, which couldn't have been more that a year or two ago. "Your Highness, I wish   
to address the senate," Jacen said, speaking to the Queen Mother, his voice carrying, impossibly,   
throughout the entire senate chamber without the aid of an amplifier; another skill that Tenel Ka would   
have to have him teach her.  
  
"Why should we listen to you," an attractive yet stern faced female senator blurted out. "You are   
a Jedi, and, more than that, you were also directly responsible for what happened to our fleet at Fondor!"  
  
Jacen looked at the senator. "You will listen to what I have to say before you speak again." It   
would be obvious to any Force user that he was taking full advantage of his Force powers to persuade the   
women into doing what he said, because she immediately sat back down and looked at him attentively.   
  
Tenel Ka was shocked by Jacen's actions. The Jacen she remembered would never have used the   
Force in such a manner. The Jacen she remembered would have deemed such a use of the Force to be too   
close to the Dark Side to ever consider. He must have changed more than just physically to become so   
forceful with his powers.  
  
"What is it that you wish to discuss with the council Jacen," asked the Queen.  
  
"I wish to discuss nothing," Jacen said. "I am here to inform them, and you, of how things are in   
this galaxy, and how things must be."  
  
Tenel Ka looked at him with confusion. He was not acting at all like the Jacen she had known.   
He was being forceful and commanding. In fact, the only thing that hadn't changed about him was his   
calm. But then again, that had changed also. It wasn't the calm wisdom that she had seen radiating from   
him the last time she had seen him; this was an icy calm that almost sent a chill up her spine. She tried to   
sense his emotions through the Force, but his mind was completely closed off to her.  
  
"You may address the senate, but I wish to see you after these proceedings," Tenel Ka's mother   
said.  
  
"Thank you Queen Mother," Jacen said, before climbing up onto the shorter dais that stood   
directly in front of the one that Tenel Ka and her family were on.  
  
"Senators, honored delegates, state diplomats, and what ever else you wish to call yourselves,"   
Jacen began his speech. "I am not the boy I once was. I am no longer the child who stopped the firing of   
centerpoint station, only to have it fired by someone who didn't know what he was doing. I have   
experienced something that has matured me and changed my entire outlook on the galaxy. I have   
witnessed the death of my younger brother, Anakin." Upon hearing this the senate chamber was shocked   
out of their Force induced silence and into a more natural stunned silence that none of the senators had the   
will to break. Anakin's heroic exploits had become legendary in many parts of the galaxy and even among   
some of the Vong. Anakin had not become so much of a legend in the Hapes cluster but he was well   
known as the most powerful Jedi of his generation. Hearing that Anakin had died was a shock to everyone,   
including Tenel Ka. "Watching him die taught me that this war will not be won with pacifism or pure   
defense. We have to go out there and destroy the Vong once and for all. I believe that the Hapes cluster,   
using all of its resources, could do this on its own. The Vong are not as numerous as we had thought. With   
your military strength we could crush them, and be sure that they never come back. I am not asking you to   
join the New Republic again. Their government is doomed to fail, and is not worth your allegiance. You   
are the great and powerful Hapes cluster. You are the single most powerful self-governing entity in this   
galaxy and you need no outside government to tell you what to do."  
  
Jacen waited a while before finally addressing Tenel Ka's Mother. "I now ask the Queen Mother   
to dismiss the senate so that they may contemplate what I have said until tomorrow."  
  
"Granted. However, do not forget about our meeting, Jedi Solo. The guards at the door will take   
you to my family's private office," Teneniel said. "The senate is now in recess until 0900 tomorrow   
morning."  
  
***  
  
Two extremely well built female bodyguards were guiding Jacen to the royal family's personal   
office. They both had firm athletic bodies that were encased in tightly fitting armored body suits that   
provided excellent mobility and did little to hide the shapeliness of the wearer. He allowed himself the   
luxury of fantasizing about these women while he watched them walk in front of him, but he knew that he   
couldn't take it any farther than the fantasy at this point. He didn't have the time and to do so would most   
likely ruin his credibility with the royal family and that was unacceptable at this point in his plans.   
However, once he had Hapes under his control, he could do as he pleased. And, if all went well, the   
beautiful princess would also be his to do with as he pleased. But at the moment he needed to keep the   
pretext of being here to help the Hapans rebuild there military and to advise the Queen Mother of the best   
way to use it.  
  
Jacen wasn't a military strategist, but he was more than intelligent enough to know that when   
commanding billions of people it is best to have almost all of them follow your commands of their own free   
will. This improved morale, and made one's subjects more loyal. This is why he needed the Hapan people   
to think that he was here to help their Queen Mother to fight the Vong. When in actuality, he was here to   
replace the Queen Mother as the chief monarch of the Hapes cluster.   
  
When taking over an already working empire, one must be sure to have public support, or else   
there will be much civil disobedience. The only real problem he might have with convincing the Hapan   
people to follow him instead of the current ruling monarch would be their low opinion of both men and   
Jedi. But he was confident that he could persuade them to see him as more than just a man or a Jedi. He   
would convince them that he was their savior, and that the current Queen Mother was completely   
inadequate in comparison to him.  
  
They reached the door to the office and the guards opened it and directed him inside. "We will   
guard the door. The royal family will be in to speak with you shortly," one of the guards said, directing   
him into the office.  
  
Jacen walked into the room and the guards closed the door behind him. He found five large chairs   
sitting in a circle in the middle of the room. Apparently the Family's private office had been intended to be   
used for casual discussions. He walked over to one of the chairs and decided to make himself comfortable   
while he waited.  
  
***  
  
  
  
  



	3. Seeds of Tyranny continued

Ta'a Chume was the first person to hastily walk though the office door, closely followed by   
Teneniel Djo and Tenel Ka. "An interesting pep talk, Jedi Solo, but you failed to give any explanation for   
why you are here at all," the former Queen Mother said with a scowl on her face.  
  
"Know your place, highness" Jacen said, standing up to look down upon the petite woman. This   
drew a momentary shock from Ta'a Chume, but when Tenel Ka placed a hand on her grandmother's   
shoulder, she realized what Jacen meant. Ta'a Chume had spoken out of turn. Obviously, she still wasn't   
used to having less authority than her daughter in-law.  
  
Tenel Ka let a small smile spread across her lips. Suddenly, she ran to Jacen in a way that, had he   
not know better, he would have described as youthfully exuberant. She reached around his neck with her   
one arm, holding him in a way that one would usually consider a hug, but with Tenel Ka's unusual   
strength, it felt to Jacen more like she was clutching onto him for dear life. "I have missed you, Jacen" she   
whispered in his ear.  
  
"I missed you too" Jacen whispered back.  
  
Tenel Ka released Jacen, and stepped back to an arm's length away from him. She looked him   
directly in the eye and said "I am here for you" with all the seriousness that Jacen had always known was   
her trademark. Only this time, he knew that her seriousness wasn't just a part of her personality. She was   
truly concerned for him, most likely due to his brother's death, and wanted him to know that she was there   
if he needed her.  
  
Good, Jacen thought. This will work to my advantage. "I know." He reached out to her and   
squeezed her left shoulder--the one above her severed arm--as if to reassure her. And then suddenly   
Jacen's old feelings for Tenel Ka came rushing back to him. At the academy, they had become best   
friends, and would have likely become much more, had their paths not lead them down different roads. He   
had loved Tenel Ka as a friend, and he admired her as a person.   
  
Jacen closed his eyes and tried to banish these emotions. They would not aid him in his goals, and   
they could very easily become a liability.  
  
"Jacen." Teneniel Djo said, stepping up beside her mother in-law, and breaking Jacen out of his   
reverie. He opened his eyes, looked at Tenel Ka, and saw her concern clearly on her face. Still holding her   
shoulder, he squeezed it once again to honestly let her know that he was okay.  
  
Dropping his hand from Tenel Ka, Jacen laid on the diplomatic charm that was a combination   
of his mother's calm political composure and his father's rugged irresistibility. "How foolish of me;   
carrying on with your daughter as if you weren't here" he said to Teneniel Djo. "Please forgive me. Have   
a seat. It's your office, after all. If I may ask, where is your husband, Prince Isolder? I had expected him   
to accompany you."  
  
"Thank you. Isolder is in another meeting at the moment. When this meeting is over, I'll give   
him your regards, if you wish" said the Queen Mother.  
  
"Please do. Now, what exactly is it that you wanted to speak to me about?" Jacen asked, once   
again taking his seat.  
  
"I was actually wounding what Ta'a Chume was wondering. Why exactly are you here? Did   
Master Skywalker send you?" She sat down in the chair directly across from Jacen and her mother in-law   
and daughter took their places, sitting at her side.  
  
"No. I came here on my own. I wish to help you and the rest of Hapes during this time of crisis."  
  
"How do you propose to do this?" The Queen Mother continued her inquiry.  
  
"I'll help any way I can, of course. However, I have a few special skills that you might find   
useful. I would offer some suggestions as to how those skills might be used, if I may?" Discussions   
between diplomats were always filled with phrases that were specifically designed to avoid offending the   
other diplomat, while accomplishing little else. Jacen knew how to play this game better than most of the   
diplomats in the New Republic, although he never let anyone know it. If this were a causal meeting--  
Jacen wanted to promote the idea that it wasn't, in an attempt to add to the severity of what he spoke of--  
he would have simply told Teneniel Djo what it was that he wanted to do, without asking for her   
permission.  
  
"Please do," said the Queen Mother.  
  
Jacen felt a small twinge in Ta'a Chume's emotions. She didn't let it show on her face--she was   
far to proud for that--but it was obvious to Jacen that she felt her position as chief advisor to the Queen   
Mother was threatened, by a mere boy no less. She had a pretty good idea of what Jacen was doing   
already. This absolutely delighted Jacen, although he didn't show it. This woman actually though of him   
as a rival. That was also a good thing.  
  
"I would love to aid you with any diplomatic problems you might have. My mother has tutored me in the   
ways of a diplomat." Jacen knew that this would carry a lot of weight with the Queen Mother. His mother,   
Leia Organa Solo, had once been the Chief of State of the New Republic, and was known in almost every   
governmental circle as the greatest diplomat in the galaxy. "However, I believe that increasing your   
military strength is the first priority. I'm not very good with building things, but I am a fully trained Jedi,   
and I think it's about time Hapes got an army of Jedi of it's own. Corellia had one, and I believe that Hapes   
deserves one as well. Naturally, we will need new potential Jedi to help us with this. We can't redirect   
many of the Jedi that have already been trained; they have other responsibilities at the moment. We need to   
train our own Jedi. The only place I know of that has a large concentration of people with the potential for   
using the Force is Dathomir."  
  
Both Teneniel Djo's and Tenel Ka's eyes widened. Dathomir just so happened to be Teneniel   
Djo's home planet. Ta'a Chume simply looked at Jacen with an icy stare. He knew she was beginning to   
see where Jacen was going with this. "Is Dathomir not still under Vong control?" Tenel Ka asked.  
  
"It is. I don't expect to be able to retake the planet any time soon, but I believe that if we work   
hard enough, we might be able to save some of the captured Dathomir sisters, and perhaps even a few of   
their mates sometime within this year. That is my goal, at least."  
  
"And an admirable goal it is! I will offer anything you might need to accomplish it. All you need   
do is ask," said the Queen Mother.  
  
"Daughter, I must object to this..." Ta'a Chume began.  
  
"Queen Mother, my I speak to Ta'a Chume in private for a moment? I think I may be able to quell   
some of her fears," Jacen interrupted.  
  
"Certainly" said Teneniel Djo, obviously eager to hand the woman over to someone else for a little   
while. "Come Tenel Ka. Let us leave these two to discuss what they will in private."  
  
Tenel Ka leaned forward in her seat, and whispered toward Jacen, "good luck".  
  
"Thanks," Jacen whispered back, forcing a small smile. He didn't need Tenel Ka's well wishes to   
deal with Ta'a Chume, but it seemed that Tenel Ka wasn't sure of that. Ta'a Chume was known for being   
extremely ruthless. She had even ordered her eldest son's death because she disagreed with him. Of   
course, this was completely unprovable; she was far too skilled to allow her own orders to condemn her.  
  
As soon as the door to the office closed behind the Queen Mother and her daughter, Ta'a Chume   
exclaimed "Who the hell do you think you are, boy, and who do you think you're dealing with? My   
daughter-in-law may not see through you, but I do. You won't get away with this, I assure you!"  
  
Jacen let all of his diplomatic charm drain from his personality. He stood up and began to walk   
around the room, as if looking for something. He knew that the Queen Mother would never allow bugs in   
her private office, but he wanted to make doubly sure. "Get away with it? I already have, highness. You   
just don't know it yet. And who do I think I am? I am someone with more power than you could possibly   
imagine. It would be wise of you to help, rather than hinder me. Although, you couldn't hinder me very   
much even if you tried," Jacen said nonchalantly.  
  
"You underestimate my powers. I may not be Queen Mother anymore, but I have lost little of the   
power I had in those days."  
  
Jacen spun around and glared at Ta'a Chume, "I have underestimated no one." He walked up to   
where Ta'a Chume was still sitting, leaned over and caressed her left cheek with his hand. "You are still a   
very beautiful woman, highness. You could be very useful to me, if you were to join me." Jacen wasn't   
lying. Ta'a Chume's own granddaughter was older than he was, but like all Hapan women, and the nobility   
in particular, she was still very attractive. However, Jacen wasn't distracted by this, he simply wanted Ta'a   
Chume to believe he was.  
  
She slapped his hand away. "I could have you killed for that. You are an arrogant little brat, who   
doesn't know his own place in the universe."  
  
Jacen grabbed her by the jaw, lifted her up to a standing position, and spoke to her with contempt.   
"You couldn't kill me, even if you ordered the entire palace to shoot me on site." Jacen allowed the   
contempt to drain from his voice and used the hand that wasn't holding the woman up to brush away the   
hair that had fallen over her eye. He tucked it carefully behind her ear, and began massaging her earlobe.   
  
He looked into her eyes and the fear he saw there paled in comparison to the fear he felt radiating   
from her in waves through the Force. "I could force you do as I wish. I could take away your will and   
make you my puppet. Those who serve me well will live with their own consciousness intact. Those who   
betray me will either die, or have their will ripped from them, and then when I am done with their bodies,   
they will also die. You, highness, do not have the option to betray me and simply die. You will do my   
bidding. Whether you do it with your consciousness intact or not is your choice."  
  
Ta'a Chume tried to struggle, but Jacen used the Force to hold her arms and legs still. Through   
teeth that were clenched shut due to the pressure Jacen was applying to her jaw she said, "You can't do this   
to me! You will die for this!"  
  
"I would appreciate it if you simply realized the futility of this situation. You will do what I want   
anyway. Why not save yourself, and submit willingly?"  
  
Ta'a Chume continued to struggle for a short time, then gave up. She closed her eyes as if to   
banish her current situation from her mind and said "What is it you want me to do."  
  
"Now that's more like it." Jacen smiled, loosened his grip on her with the Force, and lowered her   
back into her seat. He took the seat directly in front of hers and asked, "There are powerful groups in   
Hapes with anti-Jedi sentiments that are loyal to you, correct?"  
  
Ta'a Chume, still not having opened her eyes, replied "Yes, what of it?"  
  
"I want you to make them go into hiding. Keep them quiet for a while, but don't let them die.   
Keep them going in secret, until I tell you to let them out of hiding. I have plans for them."  
  
Ta'a Chume finally opened her eyes. Apparently, what Jacen had just said intrigued her. "You   
are going to use them as bait, to feed the validity of your new Hapan Jedi order once it's been started?"  
  
"No. I plan on using them for something else." Jacen allowed another smile to cross his lips. He   
then spoke down to her as he might a child, "If you behave, you might live long enough to see what that   
is."  
  
"One more thing, before I let you go," Jacen said. "Teneniel Djo, or perhaps Tenel Ka, will be   
inviting me to attend dinner with her and the rest of the royal family. At that dinner I will announce that I   
must leave for a short time. In my absence, I want you to keep all speculation about me in the senate to a   
minimum. I don't want anyone starting rumors that aren't true, or rumors that are true for that matter.   
When I came back, I want the senate to be receptive to what I have to say. More receptive than they were   
this morning, at least. Can you handle that?"  
  
"Yes, but how long will you be gone?"  
  
"I don't know. That will all depend on how quickly I can convert an old rival."  
  
***  
  
Ta'a Chume was back in her private chamber shortly after the disturbing meeting with Jacen Solo.   
Her jaw still aced from its brutal treatment and the rest of her body wasn't feeling much better; her muscles   
simply refused to relax on their own. She was too shaken to relax. She decided to draw herself a hot bath   
to help ease her discomfort.  
  
Walking to the refresher, she tried to think of the exact reason that she was shaken. Perhaps it had   
been the hopelessness she had felt when restrained by him. Perhaps it was the realization that he had so   
easily out maneuvered her with her own daughter-in-law. Perhaps it had been the shock at the fact that he   
had done all these things, and yet was still little more than a child.  
  
Ta'a Chume activated the refresher's "bath" mode, and eased herself into the steaming water. The   
heat that engulfed her soothed her acing muscles as she allowed herself to sink into the hot water up to her   
sore jaw. With her political duties, she got very little time to relax, but when she did, she enjoyed it fully.   
As her muscles untied their knots, her mind did as well.  
  
Ta'a Chume thought back on her private meeting with Jacen from a less biased and more relaxed   
mind. She smiled to herself with a small revelation; Jacen wasn't perfect, and she knew that she could   
manipulate him. He was telling the truth about his physical abilities; she was confident of that. He had   
taken complete control of the senate room without speaking a word. But like all men, he thought more with   
his crotch than his head, and she knew that she could use that to her advantage.  
  
Using a man's sexual appetites to ensnare him was one of the few things that Ta'a Chume hadn't   
needed to do in quite some time, but she was still more than skilled enough to accomplish it, she was sure.   
The young boy had shown interest in her body, and she would use that against him.  
  
Obviously, Jacen intended, in the very least, to run Hapes from behind the scenes. There was little   
Ta'a Chume could do about that. The Queen Mother and her heir trusted to boy far too much; more than   
they trusted her, at least. But perhaps instead of stopping him from taking over, she could guide that   
takeover and make herself indispensable to him.  
  
She allowed herself to sink farther into the hot water and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Yes, her   
situation wasn't as hopeless as the young Solo might believe. 


End file.
